Joey & The Ging

Last week I visited Eilat, the Dead Sea and En Gedi in southern Israel. It was really cool to go snorkeling in the Red Sea, cover myself with mud from the Dead Sea and swim in the fresh water springs in En Gedi. It was also interesting to share a hostel with a 60 yr old Israeli, who fought in the Six Day War and to hear different Israeli perspectives while riding on the bus and staying in those locations. At one of the hostels, almost every other person in the place was an 18-19 yr old IDF soldier carrying around a sniper rifle or machine gun.

I came back from the trip to find out that I had a new roomate, an Irish guy who plays Gaelic football and loves to sing Irish rebel songs. I get along with him well even though his accent proves to be a bit of a challenge sometimes. He came with the new group, which consists mainly of internationals from the States, UK, Ireland, Germany, and Spain.

My host sister, or niece, now calls me ammo Joey or Uncle Joey. Her birthday is next week and I'm not sure what I should get a two year old girl but I'm not that worried, I'm sure she will love whatever it is. Right now, her favorite thing to do with me is to sit next to me on the couch and say, nami, which means sleep, while patting the couch. Then, I lay down and she pokes my eyes and tries to grab my facial hair until I wake up and scare her. She responds by laughing and saying, man, or more.
My volunteer placement at Bethlehem Bible College came to an end today but I am very excited for my next job. There is a small village to the north of Bethlehem named El Khaddar (the spelling could be wrong, but you get the idea). This village is very small, poor, Muslim and just so happens to be located along the wall. Because of its locations, most of the houses have demolition orders on them. So, my job is working with a kids' camp again, except this time, it will be with 50 Muslim kids from 7-11. They are learning Arabic and Math during their sessions and need to have something to do in their recess time. That's where I come in; I get to come up with games, songs, dances, or something to fill up the time. This is going to be pretty challenging because of the language barrier and their ages but I am very excited. I went to the village one morning and startet to try to explain a game similar to rock-paper-scissors. While I was trying to demonstrate the game, a little girl named Yasmin came up to me and grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go. Then, Muhammad saw what Yasmin was doing and came and grabbed my other hand. Also, the ladies I work with are very nice and I am sure I will be drinking a ton of Arabic coffee. I officially start next week and have been brainstorming so I can be prepared with games for the kids to play. Any suggestions would be awesome, especially if it involves music.

This past week, the group did a tour of a refugee camp in Bethlehem, which was very interesting. Also, President Mahmoud Abbas was in Bethlehem and the PA police presence has been very obvious. In addition, we received a lecture from Badil, an organization dedicated to refugee rights, most specifically the right of return, which is rooted in international humanitarian law. I continue to be challenged by the diverse amount of perspectives that I have come across.